The Only Man I Ever Loved

🧚‍♀️T W E N T Y O N E 🧚‍♀️

Estella's Perspective
📍Present Day

'You're joking me!' I sigh at my mother. She had left it up until Christmas Day to inform me was going to the Leclerc's for Christmas dinner.

'I only told you now because I know you would have made an excuse not to come.' My mama replied to me

'It's like you know me so much.' I sarcastically smiled.

'You can put your difference with Charles aside for one day. It's Christmas Day.' Mama said walking to my bedroom door. 'We leave in one hour.'

This has always been the case. One year, we would host Christmas at our house and the next the Leclerc's would host Christmas dinner. It's like an unspoken tradition. A tradition I had forgot about because I rarely spent Christmas with my family. A tradition I no longer thought existed.

I started to panic as I had not got Pascale a Christmas present, it was the least I could do. I started to flick through my bag of PR packages. The expensive looking bottles of perfume would have to do.

I got changed into a black skirt and a pink jumper and headed downstairs to great the rest of my family before heading down the road to the Leclerc's.

I couldn't even tell you the last time I had been over to the Leclerc's house. I must have been 17 or something, but everything in the outside looked the same.

Pascale opened the door to greet us. She looked like she was going to cry when she saw me.

'Estella Grace! You look absolutely beautiful.' She said pulling me into a hug.

'You look amazing Pascale!' I said to her as we stood in the door way hugging each other. 'I got you a little gift as a thank you for hosting Christmas.'

She took the bag from my hand. 'You being here with us is a gift in its self for me. I am so excited to have you here.'

We walked through into the dining room where we joined Arthur and Lorenzo.

'Estella!' Lorenzo said as soon as I walked into the room. I walked straight over to him to greet him with a hug. 'You are all grown up!'

'I know!' I laughed back at him. 'You look great by the way Lorenzo.'

'What about me?' Arthur interrupted.

'I told you how good you looked last time I saw you. Let Lorenzo have his moment please Arthur.' I giggled nudging Arthur. A drink had found its way into my hand. After a little catch up with Lorenzo I headed through to the kitchen to other help to Pascale.

'Do you need any help?' I asked placing my glass of wine on the counter.

'Everything is good in here sweetheart.' She smiled as she placed the last of the food in the oven. 'Charles should be back soon. Said he had some last minute gifts. Maybe he is going to finally make you my daughter in law!'

'Oh I highly doubt that!' I laughed to myself as Charles had clearly not told his mother what had gone down between us lately, or the fact that his mother was a grandma. 'Besides, I have always seen you as a second mother to me despite Charles and mines differences.'

'You always will be like the daughter I never had.' Pascale brought me into a hug. 'I am so glad that you too have finally made up. He's been all happier since you came back into his life.'

I poured some more wine into my glass and topped Pascale up. 'I'm just going to use the toilet.' Charles clearly had told his mother nothing. Not about us and clearly not about Sienna. I wanted to tell her the truth but it was not my battle.